Arizona senator under consideration for Wyo. education chief

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Arizona state Sen. Rich Crandall is among the finalists under consideration for education director of Wyoming.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said he will appoint a permanent
director of the state Department of Education well before a December deadline.

Crandall (R-Mesa), is a past chair of the Arizona Senate and House education committees.

The state Board of Education has recommended two other candidates: Tony Apostle, a retired superintendent of Puyallup
Public Schools in Puyallup, Wash.; and
Norman Ridder, a superintendent of the Springfield Public Schools in
Springfield, Mo.

Mead and the Legislature enacted a new law this past winter removing the
superintendent of public instruction as head of the Education Department.
Instead, the department will be administered by a director appointed by the
governor, similar to how other state departments are managed.